"Jaune. Jaune, wake up!" A blonde-haired boy shot up from the bar. His hair was dishevelled and his yellow t-shirt was wrinkled. Standing beside him was a young, black-haired woman, wearing a red t-shirt that read '7th Heaven',
"Sorry, Rouge," he slurred. "I didn't get much sleep last night." Shaking her head, Rouge flicked his nose.
"Ow!" he squeaked. "What was that for?"
"You're always staying up late and waking up all tired!"
"Well I'm sorry, but it's the only time I get to practice," he replied. "Every other day, I'm working here."
"That's kind of how it works, Jaune. This our job after all." With nothing to say after that, Jaune left the bar and started getting the tables ready. In a matter of minutes, all the tables were clean and the chairs were tucked in. The only thing left to do was bring in the drinks.
"Hey Rouge, are we gonna be serving up our special cider today?" Jaune asked.
"As soon as I can get the apples, we will." she replied.
"Oh! I can do that!"
"You know where the orchard is?" Jaune nodded his head. Though hesitant, Rouge decided to let him go. Jaune cheered to himself and ran upstairs to his room. Sitting atop of the bed was a red-coloured dog, with a mohawk mane. Jaune smiled and reached out to pet him. He licked his hand in response and wagged his tail with joy.
"Hey there, Red," Jaune chuckled. "Today's a busy day today." He knelt to the floor and rummaged under his bed, pulling out a broadsword sheathed in white. It was the family sword, Crocea Mors, handed down from Arc to Arc. Jaune clipped it to his belt and set off for the outside, though not before being stopped by Rouge.
"Don't you plan on getting into any trouble while you're out." she warned him.
"I'll be fine, you don't have to worry." Jaune replied. With a quick wave, he left the tavern and walked along the eastern path. It was a good thing that the orchard wasn't too far from his house. More apples meant more cider for them. At the gate of the orchard was a sign that read Pomme . This was definitely the right spot. He opened the gate and was greeted by an elderly couple.
"Bonjour Jaune."
"Bonjour Monsieur et Madam Pomme," he greeted back. "How are you doing this fine morning?"
"Very good," answered Mr. Pomme. "So what can I get for you today?"
"Some of your finest cider apples, please?" Mr. Pomme smiled.
"Coming right up." He led Jaune further into the orchard to a group of small trees. The apples were perfectly ripe for the taking. With a sack in hand, Jaune started picking. One by one, the apples were filling the sack until they reached the brim. Mr. Pomme gave a low whistle.
"That's quite the bunch you got there, son," he chuckled.
"Well with Fall on the way, we need as many as we can get." Jaune said. "Okay, so how much for the apples?"
"No charge at all." Mr. Pomme quickly responded. Jaune shook his head in disappointment,
"Please sir, these are a lot of apples. I insist." He was about to reach for his wallet until Mrs. Pomme placed her hand on his shoulder.
"And we insist that you take these apples off our hands, no charge, my dear." she said. "Your family have been very good to us ever since they arrived here. Your father, uncle and aunt have kept the Grimm at bay. Your money wasn't needed then. It's not not needed now."
"But-"
"But nothing," Mr. Pomme interrupted. "It's on the house like it was for your father. Please Jaune, for us."
"Oh alright," Jaune sighed. "Can I at least expect you two to pop down to 7th Heaven later?"
The elderly couple smiled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, my dear." Mrs. Pomme responded. Jaune hoisted the heavy sack on his shoulder, but grunted under the weight. Mr. Pomme couldn't help but laugh.
"Need a hand there?"
"Yes.., please…" Jaune strained. Mr Pomme set the sack down and decided to show the young man the proper method.
"The trick is to lift with your legs and hold it from the bottom. That way you won't throw out your back."
"Thanks Mr. Pomme," said Jaune with a smile. Following the method, he carried the sack away from the orchard and walked back to the tavern alongside Mr. Pomme while Mrs. Pomme waved goodbye.
"So Jaune? How is the tavern doing?" asked Mr. Pomme.
"Just fine. I think Mom trusts Rouge to take over someday," Jaune said. "It's pretty good money too."
"What about yourself? Anything new going on in your life? Maybe a girl?"
"Mr. Pomme!" Jaune blushed beet red. The old man laughed heartily. "Well… no not really. Hopefully one day, though."
"Take it from me, you will find a girlfriend in no time at all." Jaune raised an eyebrow.
"And how would you know that?"
"Have you seen your family, Jaune? They're the best looking people in the village and that includes you. Hell, I bet the Mrs that an army of girls storming 7th Heaven just to see you. "
"Can we please move on to a different subject?" Jaune deflected nervously.
"Well, okay. Sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."
"That's okay. Right now, I want to follow in Dad's footsteps and become a Huntsman."
"I was wondering about the sword hanging on your belt. Your family must be proud of you." Jaune's face turned gloomy.
"Yeah," he muttered under his breath. "Proud." They arrived at the tavern and Jaune waved goodbye as Mr. Pomme set off back home.
"I'm back," Jaune said as he entered. At one of the tables, another black-haired was setting up the tables. Like Jaune and Rouge, she too had a 7th Heaven t-shirt, only hers was green. She looked at the sack of apples and her jaw dropped.
"That's quite a lot of apples there, bro." she said. "With any luck, they should last us the whole month."
"You know it, Verde." said Jaune, letting out a sigh of relief as he finally put the sack down. Rouge appeared from the bar and gave a big smile.
"Well look who proved useful after all," she teased. Jaune rolled his eyes and snorted.
"Very funny. How's everything at the back?"
"Marlene and Betty are giving the kitchen a good clean. You wanna give them a hand?" Jaune nodded his head. "Excellent. Okay," Rouge clapped her hands together. "I want all hands on deck today! Let's give our customers a damn good service!"
"YEAH!" Jaune and Verde cheered.
The afternoon shift was quite a rush. From table to table, Jaune hopped over to take their food and drink orders while Verde and Rouge were on bartender duty. It was a good thing 7th Heaven was only a small tavern. Lord help them otherwise. After getting in one more round of drinks for some customers, Jaune looked at the clock and saw that it was half past 12. With a smirk, an idea came to him.
"Hey Rouge, I'm gonna go take a lunch break. Is that okay?" he asked.
"Huh? But what about the tables? They aren't going to wait themselves, you know."
"Relax, I'll take care of it," Verde chimed in. "Jaune's been working hard all day, I'm sure a little rest won't hurt."
"Well okay," Rouge relented. "But make sure you come straight back."
"Got it," Jaune left and walked a little away from the tavern. He drew his sword and smiled to himself. The weight felt perfectly balanced in his hand and the blade was so shiny that he could see his reflection in it. In his other hand, the sheath transformed into a heater shield, with two golden crests decorated on the front. Jaune took a deep breath and shifted into a knight's fighting stance; knees bent, body tilted to one side and his shield held in front of him.
"Okay," he whispered. "Just like I practiced." Keeping his grip tight, he swung the sword three times, taking a step forward on each swing.
"Ha! Yah! Ha!" Jaune finished with forward thrust of his blade. "Not bad, but it needs to be faster." Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream filled the air, alerting him. The sound came from near the orchard and Jaune's blood ran cold.
"Oh no." In a fit of haste and foolishness, he rushed over to the orchard, nearly tripping over. Jaune found Mr and Mrs Pomme on the ground, surrounded by a group of lizard-like Grimm. Jaune's eyes were searing with anger.
"Get away from them, you monsters!" He yelled. The Grimm snarled and hissed, setting their sights on the young man. With a mighty battle cry, Jaune raced forward and charged at them. He slammed into the first one with the shield and swung the sword at the others.
"Yah! Hah! Aaaagh!" he grunted. Though he managed to lay a few scratches and grazes, the strikes were unfortunately ineffective. The black lizards began to retaliate, dragging their talons across the dirt and charging at him in an attempt to knock him down. Thankfully, Jaune kept his guard up with the shield, even managing to push some of them back.
"Jaune, get out of here you idiot!" Mr Pomme yelled.
"It's not safe!" Mrs Pomme screamed. "You'll be killed!" Jaune ignored them Without even a second to think, he lunged forward and stabbed two of the creatures in the chest. The victory was short lived, however, as another Grimm attacked him from the side and bit into his arm. Jaune screamed in pain, trying to throw it off. But more of them surrounded him and they charged at him again, this time succeeding in knocking him down. He tried to get up but the Grimm bared their claws and scratched him severely. His shirt was ripped and stained with his blood. Agonizing sceams filled the air and Mrs Pomme closed her eyes in horror. Just when all hope seemed lost, an arrow pierced the skull of one of the Grimm. They scrambled across the ground and several more shots were fired, each one hitting its target. The Grimm were slain, crumbling to ash. Panting and gritting his teeth, Jaune looked up to find Rouge, bow and arrow in hand, with a very worried look on her face. She helped Mrs Pomme up to her feet while Mr Pomme hoisted up Jaune.
"I'll take it from here, thank you." Rouge said. She took a good look at her brother and her eyes went wide with disbelief. Jaune's chest and arms were bleeding from the scratches, his trousers were all tattered and torn and it looked like his ankle was sprained too. Rouge hoisted Jaune up, carrying the sword by her side.
"Rouge, before you say anything, I-"
"Not a word until we get back." she hissed
Back in his room, he was fed a very bitter medicine by Verde, while Rouge covered her face in her hands.
"What the hell were you thinking?" she muffled. ""I ask you not to get into trouble and look at what happened! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"I-I'm sorry Rouge," he whimpered, his eyes filling with tears.
"You shouldn't even be fighting with the family sword anyway! You're not a Huntsmen, nor have you trained to be one! Hell, you don't even have your aura unlocked!" Jaune had enough.
"I was trying to save someone, Rouge!" he shouted. "If I wasn't there, they could've died. It's the duty of a Huntsman to protect the innocent! Was I supposed to do nothing?!"
Rouge gave a heavy sigh. "Of course not, Jaune." she sat next to him and put her arm over his shoulder. "Look, I'm glad you took action and saved the Pommes but you should've called me or Verde to deal with it. Your aspiration to be a Huntsman is admirable and it's good to have a goal, but it's not something we think is right for you." Jaune turned to his sister and looked at her in disbelief. He felt like his heart had been ripped out.
"How can you say that after what our entire family has been through? After our grandparents and their grandparents before shaped this family on being Huntsmen and Huntresses? " Jaune moped. Finally, Verde broke her silence.
"Because the life of a Huntsman isn't as easy as just saving people. It's dangerous and there's a chance you may not get out of it alive. Mom and Dad were some of the lucky ones, others don't have that luxury." Jaune hung his head in shame. He never really stopped to think about the potential risks that came with choosing to be a Huntsman.
"I think it's best that you don't help out today," she said softly. "Make sure to get some rest. Rouge and I will take it from here." Jaune nodded reluctantly. Both sisters hugged him and left the room. Red meanwhile jumped on the bed, determined to keep his master company. Jaune gave a sad smile as he petted him.
"Thanks Red." he whispered. The rest of the day passed and it was almost evening. Red had moved to the floor, sleeping away. Jaune was still awake, however. His mind was racing with thoughts on what to do. He looked over to the door where Crocea Mors was hung. Jaune knew his sisters were right, but he also knew that he was meant for far bigger things than just being a simple bartender. The Arcs came from a long line of Huntsmen. It was time he joined the family business. Rushing over to his desk, he grabbed a pen and paper and began to write. Several minutes had passed until he was finished. He put the paper into an envelope and sealed it. Jaune then started to pack his belongings into a backpack; pyjamas, boots, a map, his medicine, an extra set of clothes and his wallet. He took out his scroll and clicked the name 'Barrett.'
"Hello, Uncle Barrett," Jaune spoke into the scroll. "I have a favour to ask; I'm going to Beacon Academy in Vale and I need you to drop me off to Arcadia."